New book discussing masculinity in Bollywood released

A new book discussing how masculinity is represented in Bollywood has been published.

The book, entitled Popular Masculine Cultures in India: Critical Essays, has been edited by Rohit K Dasgupta, associate lecturer and doctoral student at University of the Arts London, and Digital Spy's own Steven Baker, a UK academic and journalist based in India.

Describing the key themes of the volume, Baker said: "Bollywood is the dominant popular culture in India and the way masculinity is depicted in Hindi films is quite different to how it is presented in the West.

"The Bollywood hero breaking into song and dance, shedding tears, and being so closely attached to his mother, are signs of masculinity synonymous with Indian cinema."

According to Baker, the traditional image of the Bollywood hero has changed dramatically as a result of films such as Dostana, which he says have "gone some way towards opening the Bollywood closet".

"Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham playing it gay in Dostana emerged from the enthusiastic reception to Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan's gay subplot in Kal Ho Naa Ho back in 2003," added Baker.

"Ten years later it will be interesting to see how far Johar pushes the envelope with the long-awaited Dostana sequel."

According to Dasgupta, writings on masculinity are a new area of discussion in India. "Masculinity in Bollywood has seen a sea change from the sensitivity of Dev Anand; we are now confronted with the hypermasculinity of John Abraham, Salman Khan and others."

Popular Masculine Cultures in India: Critical Essays has already received widespread critical acclaim. Professor Wimal Dissanayake, University of Hawaii, said: 'By focusing on diverse forms of popular culture and how they produce newer masculinities, Rohit K Dasgupta and Steven Baker have opened a most important window onto modern Indian society."

Author Mayank Austen Soofi described the book as "engaging and elegantly written" and went on to say: "This book offers persuasive arguments on the myths and half-truths of the Indian male."

Published by Setu Prakashani, Popular Masculine Cultures in India: Critical Essays is available in India.